The Syrian Coalition called upon the international community to take serious action to put an end to the Assad regime and its allies’ crimes and salvage the political process in accordance with international resolutions and the Geneva Communiqué of 2012.

In a press release issued on Monday, the Coalition said that the Assad regime and its allies’ ongoing crimes against the Syrian people indicate that it “rejects any solution that deals with the core of the conflict, namely freedom from enslavement. It has become clear that as long as it receives support from its allies at the military and diplomatic level, the Assad regime will not take a single step on the path of political transition.”

According to the Media Center in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, at least 28 people were killed and more than 100 others wounded Sunday in more than 30 airstrikes by the Assad regime’s air force. Regime forces also fired more than 50 rockets and mortar shells targeting residential areas in the besieged eastern Ghouta.

Accordion to figures the center published on its Facebook page, the victims included 17 people who were killed in the town of Hammouriya as a result of the relentless bombing campaign being launched by the Assad regime on the rebel-held area.

“No one can expect criminals to contribute to the success of a solution that might put an end to their crimes. Therefore, the international community is obliged to press towards putting an end to the bloodshed and the criminal policies that the Assad regime has been pursuing since day one,” the Coalition added.

The Coalition went on to say that the main objective of the Assad regime's criminal attacks and its violation of agreements, understandings and ceasefires is to undermine all chances of reaching a political solution.

“The Assad regime exploits the international community’s complete silence about the dozens of crimes committed in recent weeks as well as the ones that have been committed against the Syrian people over the past seven years. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)

Hanadi Abu Arab, Deputy Head of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said that women are adequately represented in the HNC’s delegation to Geneva, adding that more than 20 Syrian women participated actively in the Riyadh II conference and the current round of negotiations.

Abu Arab made her remarks during a teleconference with women in northern Syria. Both sides discussed the participation of Syrian women in the current round of talks in Geneva and if the representation of Syrian women meets the standards that have been determined under the Convention on The Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The teleconference also discussed the international and local attitude of the effectiveness of the participation of women in the negotiating process and their role in pushing the negotiating process ahead.

Abu Arab said that the representation of women was adequate and inclusive. “We insist that women must be represented by a ratio of at least 30 per cent in all international events and meetings and we are seeking that women are equally represented in future events.”

It was agreed to expand the base of women's communication and to hold an expanded meeting of Syrian women in northern Syria.

Abu Arab also held a teleconference in the town of Reyhanli in southern Turkey with leaders representing the revolution forces and the armed opposition. The teleconference discussed the outcome of the Riyadh II conference and its final communiqué as well as the current round of Geneva negotiations.

Abu Arab described the meeting as "positive and effective," noting that representatives of the revolution forces and the armed opposition put forward a set of suggestions and recommendations to the HNC to be discussed during the current round of negotiations.

Abu Arab reiterated the HNC delegation’s firm commitment to the guiding principles of the Syrian revolution as well as the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 and relevant international resolutions on Syria, most importantly UN Security Council resolutions 2118 and 2254 as the basis for negotiations.

Negotiations in Geneva were resumed on Tuesday. The HNC’s delegation will meet today with the team of the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the political transition process and all other baskets. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)